This exploration of the role of violence in the history of Islamic societies considers the subject particularly in the context of its implementation as a political strategy to claim power over the ...
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This exploration of the role of violence in the history of Islamic societies considers the subject particularly in the context of its implementation as a political strategy to claim power over the public sphere. Violence, both among Muslims and between Muslims and non-Muslims, has been the object of research in the past, as in the case of jihad, martyrdom, rebellion or criminal law. This book goes beyond these concerns in addressing, in a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary fashion, how violence has functioned as a basic principle of Islamic social and political organization in a variety of historical and geographical contexts. Contributions trace the use of violence by governments in the history of Islam, shed light on legal views of violence, and discuss artistic and religious responses. Authors lay out a spectrum of attitudes rather than trying to define an Islamic doctrine of violence. Bringing together some of the most substantive and innovative scholarship on this important topic to date, this volume contributes to the growing interest, both scholarly and general, in the question of Muslim attitudes toward violence, highlighting the complexity of this topic and the diversity of Muslim attitudes toward violence, and offering an overview of the economy of violence under the various dynasties that shaped the history of Islamic civilization.Less

Public Violence in Islamic Societies : Power, Discipline, and the Construction of the Public Sphere, 7th-19th Centuries CE

Christian LangeMaribel Fierro

Published in print: 2009-07-31

This exploration of the role of violence in the history of Islamic societies considers the subject particularly in the context of its implementation as a political strategy to claim power over the public sphere. Violence, both among Muslims and between Muslims and non-Muslims, has been the object of research in the past, as in the case of jihad, martyrdom, rebellion or criminal law. This book goes beyond these concerns in addressing, in a comprehensive and cross-disciplinary fashion, how violence has functioned as a basic principle of Islamic social and political organization in a variety of historical and geographical contexts. Contributions trace the use of violence by governments in the history of Islam, shed light on legal views of violence, and discuss artistic and religious responses. Authors lay out a spectrum of attitudes rather than trying to define an Islamic doctrine of violence. Bringing together some of the most substantive and innovative scholarship on this important topic to date, this volume contributes to the growing interest, both scholarly and general, in the question of Muslim attitudes toward violence, highlighting the complexity of this topic and the diversity of Muslim attitudes toward violence, and offering an overview of the economy of violence under the various dynasties that shaped the history of Islamic civilization.

This chapter gives translations of Muslim accounts of the battle of Manzikert dating from the thirteenth century. All these narratives are in Arabic; some of them are written in ornate style. The ...
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This chapter gives translations of Muslim accounts of the battle of Manzikert dating from the thirteenth century. All these narratives are in Arabic; some of them are written in ornate style. The authors come from Central Asia, Iraq and Syria. Their accounts of the battle are presented in roughly chronological order. Each of these translations is accompanied by a detailed commentary, analysing their content, style and the specific context in which the author is writing.Less

The thirteenth-century accounts of the battle of Manzikert

Carole Hillenbrand

Published in print: 2007-11-21

This chapter gives translations of Muslim accounts of the battle of Manzikert dating from the thirteenth century. All these narratives are in Arabic; some of them are written in ornate style. The authors come from Central Asia, Iraq and Syria. Their accounts of the battle are presented in roughly chronological order. Each of these translations is accompanied by a detailed commentary, analysing their content, style and the specific context in which the author is writing.

This chapter elucidates the social and cultural foundations for the way in which Islam has historically been practiced in this region of West Africa and the relationship of different understandings ...
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This chapter elucidates the social and cultural foundations for the way in which Islam has historically been practiced in this region of West Africa and the relationship of different understandings of Islam to ideas about power and authority before the onset of French colonial rule. It focuses particularly on notions of hierarchy and charisma and emphasizes the centrality of exceptional charismatic leaders, Muslim saints, and and the relationship of such figures to Sufism.Less

Islam and Authority before the Colonial Period

Benjamin F. Soares

Published in print: 2005-06-21

This chapter elucidates the social and cultural foundations for the way in which Islam has historically been practiced in this region of West Africa and the relationship of different understandings of Islam to ideas about power and authority before the onset of French colonial rule. It focuses particularly on notions of hierarchy and charisma and emphasizes the centrality of exceptional charismatic leaders, Muslim saints, and and the relationship of such figures to Sufism.

This chapter discusses the history of Nioro du Sahel in Mali as a socio-political and religious space in the aftermath of the French colonial conquest, the development of colonial policies toward ...
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This chapter discusses the history of Nioro du Sahel in Mali as a socio-political and religious space in the aftermath of the French colonial conquest, the development of colonial policies toward Islam and Muslims (‘la politique musulmane’), and some of the major political economic changes associated with colonial rule. Changes in understandings of Islam and its practices in this setting can only be understood in relation to some of the complex social transformations that began under colonial rule and have continued in the postcolonial period.Less

Colonialism and After

Benjamin F. Soares

Published in print: 2005-06-21

This chapter discusses the history of Nioro du Sahel in Mali as a socio-political and religious space in the aftermath of the French colonial conquest, the development of colonial policies toward Islam and Muslims (‘la politique musulmane’), and some of the major political economic changes associated with colonial rule. Changes in understandings of Islam and its practices in this setting can only be understood in relation to some of the complex social transformations that began under colonial rule and have continued in the postcolonial period.

This chapter focuses on Asekou Sayon Kerra, the man who introduced the big upheavals among Baga. According to many, Sayon was ‘sent’ by Sékou Touré to destroy Baga cults because Touré was afraid of ...
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This chapter focuses on Asekou Sayon Kerra, the man who introduced the big upheavals among Baga. According to many, Sayon was ‘sent’ by Sékou Touré to destroy Baga cults because Touré was afraid of their ‘secret’. ‘He had to destroy the Baga in order for him to become strong’, a Baga man told the author in 2003. The chapter then discusses Sayon’s jihad; how the image of the hermetic hut works as a metaphor for the secrecy that pervaded much of Baga society, as well as for the closure Baga were experiencing in colonial times; the PDG’s efforts to destroy any sort of inequality or ‘feudalism’ by reversing the power of the old canton and village chiefs; and the Baga’s conversion to either Christianity or Islam.Less

Mande Tricksters and Transformations: From Iconoclastic Preachers to Iconoclastic Politicians

Sarró Ramon

Published in print: 2008-12-18

This chapter focuses on Asekou Sayon Kerra, the man who introduced the big upheavals among Baga. According to many, Sayon was ‘sent’ by Sékou Touré to destroy Baga cults because Touré was afraid of their ‘secret’. ‘He had to destroy the Baga in order for him to become strong’, a Baga man told the author in 2003. The chapter then discusses Sayon’s jihad; how the image of the hermetic hut works as a metaphor for the secrecy that pervaded much of Baga society, as well as for the closure Baga were experiencing in colonial times; the PDG’s efforts to destroy any sort of inequality or ‘feudalism’ by reversing the power of the old canton and village chiefs; and the Baga’s conversion to either Christianity or Islam.

The Seljuqs are described as fanatical promoters of Sunnism. In the capture of Baghdad by Tughril Beg, the Buyid power and the public expression of Shi،i came to an end. The Shi،i community, both in ...
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The Seljuqs are described as fanatical promoters of Sunnism. In the capture of Baghdad by Tughril Beg, the Buyid power and the public expression of Shi،i came to an end. The Shi،i community, both in Baghdad and elsewhere in the Seljuq empire faced considerable restrictions. The damage to the intellectual infrastructure of Shi،ism was also significant. Among the attacks on Shi،ism intellectual infrastructure was the burning of libraries. These restrictions on Shi،ism intellectual activity brought stagnation on Shi،I intellectualism. This chapter aims to rebut the characterisation of Shi،i scholars particularly al-Tūsī as intellectually impoverished. Such depiction is argued to be promulgated in Shi،i legal histories in order to establish al-Tūsī as the undisputed progenitor of the Shi،i legal tradition. The first section of the chapter discusses the convergence and divergence of post-Tūsī scholars with al-Tūsī. It examines the levels of inter-madhhab agreement in order to compare the post-Tūsī jurisprudence with other periods to discover whether the Seljuq period was slavish. The second section discusses the commanding right and forbidding wrong of al-Tūsī's al-Wasīla. The third section focuses on the law of rebellion which is usually covered in the chapter on jihad in fiqh works.Less

SHIʿI JURISPRUDENCE DURING THE SELJUQ PERIOD: REBELLION AND PUBLIC ORDER IN AN ILLEGITIMATE STATE

Robert Gleave

Published in print: 2011-07-31

The Seljuqs are described as fanatical promoters of Sunnism. In the capture of Baghdad by Tughril Beg, the Buyid power and the public expression of Shi،i came to an end. The Shi،i community, both in Baghdad and elsewhere in the Seljuq empire faced considerable restrictions. The damage to the intellectual infrastructure of Shi،ism was also significant. Among the attacks on Shi،ism intellectual infrastructure was the burning of libraries. These restrictions on Shi،ism intellectual activity brought stagnation on Shi،I intellectualism. This chapter aims to rebut the characterisation of Shi،i scholars particularly al-Tūsī as intellectually impoverished. Such depiction is argued to be promulgated in Shi،i legal histories in order to establish al-Tūsī as the undisputed progenitor of the Shi،i legal tradition. The first section of the chapter discusses the convergence and divergence of post-Tūsī scholars with al-Tūsī. It examines the levels of inter-madhhab agreement in order to compare the post-Tūsī jurisprudence with other periods to discover whether the Seljuq period was slavish. The second section discusses the commanding right and forbidding wrong of al-Tūsī's al-Wasīla. The third section focuses on the law of rebellion which is usually covered in the chapter on jihad in fiqh works.

This chapter introduces Senegal as a first regional context for the emergence of both Sufi- and Salafi-oriented movements of reform. It shows that neither movement of reform was monolithic but ...
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This chapter introduces Senegal as a first regional context for the emergence of both Sufi- and Salafi-oriented movements of reform. It shows that neither movement of reform was monolithic but characterized by multiple splits, often linked with family disputes and generational change. The chapter presents Cheikh Touré as the major representative of Salafi-minded reform in Senegal and discusses the different ways in which Sufi movements responded to the challenge of Salafi-oriented reform. The chapter shows that both Sufi- and Salafi-oriented movements of reform tried to take part actively in Senegalese politics and to influence politics. It also explains why Salafi-oriented reform has not managed to become a popular mass movement in Senegal and why Sufi movements managed to consolidate their role as the major political players in Senegal. The chapter finally compares the development of Salafi-oriented reform in Mali with developments in Senegal and shows that the success of Salafi-minded reform in Mali was linked with the different historical and social context. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the civil war in Mali in 2011 and 2012 and the emergence of jihad-minded groups in northern Mali.Less

Reform in Context I: Senegal (and Mali)

Roman Loimeier

Published in print: 2016-10-01

This chapter introduces Senegal as a first regional context for the emergence of both Sufi- and Salafi-oriented movements of reform. It shows that neither movement of reform was monolithic but characterized by multiple splits, often linked with family disputes and generational change. The chapter presents Cheikh Touré as the major representative of Salafi-minded reform in Senegal and discusses the different ways in which Sufi movements responded to the challenge of Salafi-oriented reform. The chapter shows that both Sufi- and Salafi-oriented movements of reform tried to take part actively in Senegalese politics and to influence politics. It also explains why Salafi-oriented reform has not managed to become a popular mass movement in Senegal and why Sufi movements managed to consolidate their role as the major political players in Senegal. The chapter finally compares the development of Salafi-oriented reform in Mali with developments in Senegal and shows that the success of Salafi-minded reform in Mali was linked with the different historical and social context. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the civil war in Mali in 2011 and 2012 and the emergence of jihad-minded groups in northern Mali.